World Record 78-pound 8-ounce Striper
Anglers who understand the pleasures of the peninsula from the backwaters and bays of Atlantic City, the Wildwoods and Cape May can do better than the gamblers. Atlantic City is, after all, the spot where the world-record striped bass was caught off a jetty. It's also a decent spot to surf fish where you can find offbeach bars and channels away from crowds. However, the best fishing may be the back bay shore and point action inside the beach line.
To locate the action, pull into Atlantic City and drive south towards Cape May and you pass over an alarming number of toll bridges -- fortunately, their tolls are cheap. Watch the points and beaches as you drive up and over the bridge and you'll always spot anglers. Some come in with small boats and fish bait. Others cast from the beach, bank, jetties or piers.
There seems an amazing collection of fish here. Redfish, striped bass, bluefish, flounders and a dozen or more different kinds of perch and panfish seem ready to hit baits, lures or flies.
As usual in saltwater, the best action comes with the water movement generated on days with the maximum distance between high and low tide. Most of the best spots seem well-known, so drive until you see a line of casters or anchored boats. Pull up, get out the binoculars and keep and eye on the action.
You'll find still fishers using sand and mud worms, minnows, small crabs and other life or newly deceased bait. If you wish to fling flies, small streamers and other imitations of natural baits work. Stop at local tackle shops; for the price of a little tackle you can get a lot of good information on what's biting where.
If you can fish during the week or, if you can only make it to the beaches and bays on the weekends, consider late afternoon and evening action that often extends into the night hours under the lights of bridges and wharfs. Night is the best time for surf fishing during the summer when bathers mob up. Surf fishing does, of course, require surf gear. If that's not available you can simply move back into the bays and use the same tackle you'd wave for bass or trout.
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